Related Stories

Bell Canada Enterprises is trying again to tie the knot with Astral Media, following a regulatory slap-down of the proposed corporate marriage last month.

The Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) blocked the Bell-Astral merger, saying it was a bad deal for consumers, but Bell CEO George Cope says the company will get it right this time.

"We're ready to deliver more choice for listeners and viewers, more opportunity for content creators, and more competition for the broadcasting industry," Cope said in a statement.

Details of the $3.4-billion takeover will stay secret until the CRTC begins public hearings on it.

CRTC Chair Jean-Pierre Blais has already faced the question of how the commission would react to a new Bell bid largely the same as the deal blocked Oct. 18.

"We recommend ... that before anybody brings a new application to us they carefully read the decision that we issued today," said Blais at the time.